Our Story of Prenatal Screening & Genetic Testing

Fifteen years ago when I was pregnant with my youngest child my OB Gyn ordered a prenatal screening test called Alpha Fetal Protein (AFP).  My doctor said that AFP is a common blood test that is done about half way through a woman's pregnancy with a one week window of "opportunity" being exactly four and one-half months gestation.  Because of my medical background and the fact that I was near forty years old, my pregnancy was classified as "high risk".  I trusted my doctor and his judgement so without giving it another thought I was off to the lab for the test.    A couple of days later I received a phone call from my doctor personally, telling me that I should come in for a retest.  There was a sense of urgency in his voice as he explained that the test was indicative of Down Syndrome.  So I scheduled the retest for the next day and hung up the phone a bit shaken.The next day my doctor called again to tell me that my second test had come back positive for Down Syndrome.  His exact words were  "there is a 95% chance that your baby has Down Syndrome".  In the same breath he stated that he wanted my husband and I to visit a Genetic Specialist in Sioux Falls.  He said that this specialist had a state-of-the-art ultrasound machine that would help determine whether or not our baby was "normal".  So we scheduled the appointment, not really knowing what to expect. The ultrasound was awesome!  As I lay on the exam table in that specialists office I could see everything about my baby, including that he was a boy!   But his gender didn't really matter at that moment because I was worried about his health.  The doctor and his two assistants found Henry's little heart and I could see it beating.  He said, "the heart looks healthy".  Same deal with the lungs.   Okay - that was  a plus.  Then the team of doctors continued on to measure the length of his thigh and upper arm bones.  He said that babies with Down Syndrome have shorter bones.  Then they measured the thickness of the skin on the back of Henry's neck.  That was normal too.  The doctor said that babies with Down Syndrome have thick skin on the backs of their necks.  When the exam was over we went into the consultation office.The doctor asked if it were okay to include our information in a study they were doing on Down Syndrome in babies of older mothers.  We said it was okay.  Then the doctor went on to explain what the ultrasound exam revealed.  He said, "There's never any certainty either way in examinations of babies with positive AFP tests, but it appears that everything is okay with your baby at this point."  The next thing out of his mouth is what floored me.  He said, "Do you want an abortion?"  It felt like someone had jabbed a big knife right into my heart!  I said, "NO - abortion is not an option for us."  We left that office feeling hopeless with broken hearts and cried all the way home.  But we agreed that whatever the health of our unborn baby, he was a precious gift from God and we would love him no matter what. In the weeks and months that followed I had uncontrollable bouts of crying mixed with fear of the unknown.  We prayed ourselves to sleep at night, that God would give us the strength to face whatever lay ahead for our baby. About a month later God gifted me with a peace and reassurance that no matter what lay ahead, we would be just fine.  Henry was born normal.  He was a chubby little 8 pound 12 ounce baby - perfect in every way.  And the first words out of my doctors mouth at delivery was "he doesn't have Down Syndrome".  Still, at that moment it didn't really matter because the love for this baby was bigger than all the fears we had had about his health.  The reason I'm writing this is because 80% of abortions performed after positive AFP tests end the lives of completely normal healthy babies.  And it leaves mothers and families broken.  Forever.  Doctors must think they are doing families a "favor" by offering abortion to such prenatal screening tests.  The truth is that prenatal genetic screening tests are completely unnecessary.  There are some who might argue that such tests enable delivery room staff to be prepared for unhealthy babies.  That's not good enough.  Prenatal screening hurts women and obviously causes the death of babies through abortion.  Prenatal screening is not healthcare.  Abortion is not healthcare.  When we believe that all life is a precious gift from God - that life becomes indisposable - not something we can just throw away because it's not perfect.  We have no right to be "poking around" unborn babies with AFP or any other kind of prenatal tests in what is supposed to be the safest place in the world:  their mothers womb.  When we do this, we make ourselves greater than God, the giver and respecter of all life. Read another woman's story about prenatal testing and Down Syndrome here.